VMDIFF kicks off on February 20th and runs until March 3rd
This year's Virgin Media Dublin International Film Festival kicks off next month, with names such as Stephen Merchant, Neil Jordan and Bo Burnham all headed to Dublin.
Close to 30 films will screen across Dublin, very often weeks or months in advance of their theatrical release, with some even screening exclusively at the festival nowhere else in Ireland.
As always, we've gone through this year's programme and picked out 10 of our top choices to see at this year's festival. You can book tickets and find out more at diff.ie or check out our minisite for more information.
'Papi Chulo' - Wednesday, February 20th at Cineworld, 18.30 / 20.30
John Butler's follow-up to 'Handsome Devil' sees him tell the story of a down-at-luck weather presenter (played by Matt Bomer) who has an on-air meltdown and takes a sabbatical from work. Whilst waiting to go back to work, he hires a Latino migrant worker to paint his home and develops a deep friendship that makes for a moving culture-clash comedy.
'Greta' - Saturday, March 2nd at Light House Cinema, 20.10
Chloe Moretz and Isabelle Huppert star in this twisty psychological thriller about a young woman (Moretz) who recently lost her mother and strikes up a friendship with an eccentric French piano teacher (Huppert). All seems normal, but as her mask begins to sleep, there's something much more sinister lurking underneath the surface.
'Fighting With My Family' - Wednesday, February 27th at Light House Cinema, 18.15
Based on the true life story of WWE wrestler Paige, Stephen Merchant directs this heart-warming family dramedy about the price of fame, putting family bonds to the test, and entering the cut-throat world of sports entertainment and wrestling. With cameos from the likes of Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson and starring Nick Frost, Vince Vaughn and Lena Headey, 'Fighting With My Family' looks like a sweet and endearing story.
'Out Of Blue ' - Tuesday, February 26th at Light House Cinema, 20.15
Patricia Clarkson stars in this neo-noir drama about a detective (Clarkson) who's tasked with investigating the murder of a well-known astrophysicist. Based on Martis Amis' novel, 'Night Train', and directed by Carol Morley - who made the incredible 'Dreams Of A Life' documentary in 2011 - this looks like it's an intriguing take on the standard police procedural.
'Prisoners Of The Moon' - Saturday, March 2nd at Light House Cinema, 16.30
Arthur Rudolph was known as the project director on Saturn V, the shuttle that launched the Apollo program for NASA. As well as this, Rudolph also managed the development of the Pershing missile system. He was also a Nazi scientist who was instrumental in helping to develop and build the V2 Rocket, and was brought to the US with the help of the OSS at the end of World War II. Johnny Gogan's documentary examines his work, his involvement with the moon landing, and just so happens to screen not four months away from the 50th anniversary of the moon landing.
'Mid90s' - Thursday, February 21st at Light House Cinema, 20.15
Jonah Hill's directorial debut sees him mine his own childhood in the '90s in Los Angeles, following a young boy who falls in with a group of skaters and takes him in his under his wing. Starring Katherine Waterston, Lucas Hedges and Sunny Suljic, this affecting coming-of-age comedy is sure to become a future classic.
'Wild Rose' - Sunday, March 3rd at Cineworld, 20.15
Finishing out this year's Virgin Media Dublin International Film Festival, 'Wild Rose' follows the story of a young woman (Killarney's Jessie Buckley) in Glasgow who's obsessed with Nashville and country music, but struggles to find a way to making it a reality. Released from prison and with two young children, her worried mother (Julie Walters) is desperate to remind her of her responsibilities than chase her dreams.
'Eighth Grade' - Wednesday, February 27th at Cineworld, 18.15
Screening as part of VMDIFF's Fantastic Flix, 'Eighth Grade' takes us through the world of 13-year old Kayla who's navigating the difficulties of being a child in today's social media-obsessed world. Debuting at Sundance last year, 'Eighth Grade' is a breakout effort by comedian Bo Burnham as a director and Elsie Fisher as a young actor.
'The Muppet Movie' - Sunday, February 24th at Cineworld, 16.00
That's right - the comedy classic with Kermit, Miss Piggy, Gonzo and the rest of the gang is coming back to screens for its 40th anniversary. The film debut of Jim Henson, the Muppets are persuaded to come to Hollywood by an unscrupulous agent played by Dom DeLuise. Whilst on his journey to Hollywood, he meets up with Fozzie Bear, Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem, Miss Piggy as well as a host of familiar faces including Steve Martin, Mel Brooks, Orson Welles, Cloris Leachman, Elliot Gould and Bob Hope.
'The Kid Who Would Be King - Wednesday, February 13th at Light House Cinema, 13.00
Joe Cornish directs this modern retelling of King Arthur and Excalibur, with a young boy (Louis Ashbourne Serkis) discovering the sword in the stone on a building stone. Before long, he's contacted by the wizard Merlin who must train him to defeat an evil enchantress, played by Rebecca Ferguson. Mixing '80s-styled kids action with modern special effects, 'The Kid Who Would Be King' looks and feels like an all-ages adventure classic.